Simple Mason Jar Soap Dispenser

Love mason jars? Hate the look of regular old soap dispensers by your sink? If you answered yes to both of these questions then here is a nice and easy guide to make a simple mason jar soap dispenser to for fill all your soap and home decor needs. I kept it as simple as possible. To make this instructable all you need is a regular soap dispenser and a mason jar. Also, if you like my guide and are feeling generous please vote.

The total cost for this instructable is very very low. I spent a grand total of one dollar for the soap dispenser to take apart. The mason jar and super glue I already had in my home, but even if I had to buy them you would not have to spend more than ten dollars in total for this project.

Materials:

-Mason Jar ( I used a pint sized mason jar but you can really use any size, it will only affect how much soap it can hold)

-Soap Dispenser ( I used 14 oz. size)

Tools:

-Hammer

-Medium Sized Nail

-Needle Nose Pliers (something to widen the hole made by the nail)

-Scissors

-Super Glue (I used Krazy Glue aka Kragle)

Project Time:

-Total Build Time = 15 minutes

First mark the center of the mason jar lid. Grab a hammer and a medium sized nail. Grip both the top of the jar and the nail with one hand. Be sure that the nail is lined up on the center. Now take a hammer and tap the nail through the top of the lid, it should only take a few hits to pop the nail through. Hit the nail half way through the lid and then remove it.

Next step in the hole making process is to widen the hole. The hole needs to be wide enough to allow the spring enclosed section of the dispenser through the lid but small enough so that the outside threaded cap section rests on top of the lid. The diameter of the hole I needed to make was ¾ inches so I took a cork with about the same diameter and traced the outline onto the lid’s center. Now take out your needle nose pliers and insert them into the small hole produced by the nail. With one hand gripping the jar begin to twist the pliers into the lid. The metal lid will start to peel back as the hole widens, stop when you reach the desired diameter.

Once you got the right hole size unscrew and pop off the lid. Flip it over on your work surface and you will see some jagged metal flaps sticking out. Pushing from the inside of the hole out, bend the flaps so they are flush with the bottom of the lid. Be careful around the top edges of the hole flaps, sharp things are sharp.

Unscrew the soap dispenser section from the bottle and lay it beside your mason jar. Unless you have large mason jar or a small soap dispenser then you will have to cut the tube section of the soap dispenser. Take out a pair of scissors and cut at about a 45-degree angle so that the tube rests just above the bottom of the jar (the angle makes it more difficult for the tube to ever become flush to a section of the jar. If the tube becomes flush to the jar then the dispenser pump will not be able to suck up any soap). Pop in the soap dispenser into the mason jar lid to check the fit. Recut as needed, Better to cut twice if you are eyeballing it. I just measured the depth from the lid to the bottom of the jar and cut it to the right length.

Get out your super glue. I used your classic Krazy Glue. Take out the soap dispenser and lay a bead of glue all around the bottom edge of the cap section. Quickly insert the dispenser into the hole; it is easier to do if the lid is screwed onto the jar. Press and hold the dispenser onto the lid until the glue holds, about 20 seconds. For extra strength I put an extra bead of glue around the edge after the first bead dried

There you have it, a simple mason jar soap dispenser. Congratulations. If you like the look of the jar empty then move onto pouring in the soap leftover from the soap bottle, screwing on the lid and put it by the sink for all to marvel at your craftiness. However, I thought the jar looked a bit plain with the clear soap so I did a bit of simple decorating to spruce it up.

If you decide you want to skip the decorating step then I recommend using a colored soap or a colored jar.

Here is some easy to do decorating for an easy to make mason jar soap dispenser. I went with the classic nautical theme. First gather up some rocks. I went down to the beach and picked up some smooth stones, shells and pebbles. Next wash off any sand. Now take your jar, remove the lid/soap dispenser and tip it to the side. Start dropping in the rocks and shells until it is about halfway full. Grab the soap bottle leftover from the soap dispenser you removed the dispenser from and pour the contents into the jar. Then insert the lid back onto the jar and with some jimmying screw it back into place.

Note the stones and shells is just an example. You can fill it with whatever you want, just avoid things that might rust or bleed into the soap. I think an eye spy or knickknack theme would look pretty cool.

Congratulations. You did it. You took a plain old plastic soap dispenser and transformed it into a cool mason jar soap dispenser. Now go out and proudly display your work. Happy New Year everyone.